


Sick Day

by anxiousdryad



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: How Do I Tag, M/M, Sick Character, slight angst then fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28042179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxiousdryad/pseuds/anxiousdryad
Summary: Harley hated being sick. Period. Being sick meant he had to stay home back in Rose Hill, which meant he couldn’t go work to help his family make ends meet, he definitely couldn’t go to school and he couldn’t take care of his sister.So when he woke up in New York with a swirling feeling in his stomach, he knew it wouldn’t end well. Only a few seconds later, he was lurching to his feet and racing to the adjacent bathroom, gagging as his stomach rebelled and expelled its contents into the toilet.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 97





	Sick Day

Harley hated being sick. Period. Being sick meant he had to stay home back in Rose Hill, which meant he couldn’t go work to help his family make ends meet, he definitely couldn’t go to school and he couldn’t take care of his sister. 

So when he woke up in New York with a swirling feeling in his stomach, he knew it wouldn’t end well. Only a few seconds later, he was lurching to his feet and racing to the adjacent bathroom, gagging as his stomach rebelled and expelled its contents into the toilet. 

“Your temperature is 100.1, would you like me to alert BOSS?” Friday’s voice sounded above him. Harley leaned his head on the toilet seat, panting.

“No Fri, I’ll be fine”

“Are you sure?” Harley wasn’t sure if Tony had programmed his AI to sound concerned, but Friday really did. He sat up and leaned against the wall. 

“Really Fri, I’ll be fine.” His stomach lurched again, and Harley swallowed hard. 

“Due to the “My Kids are Stupid” protocol, I’m required to alert BOSS if your temperature reaches 104.”

“Well let’s hope it doesn’t” Harley had to use the wall to get up, but he went through the morning motions, brushing his teeth to rid the taste of vomit from his mouth. Harley dragged himself through the motions, his brain beginning to fog. He grabbed the biggest hoodie he could find to bundle up in, already feeling cold. He grabbed his bag, and slipped out of the penthouse before Tony or Pepper could comment on how he looked. 

“You don’t look so good, kid” Happy stated as Harley slid into the back seat. His jaw was chattering, but Harley clenched his teeth together.

“I’m fine Hap, just drive,” He muttered, slinking down in the back seat and pulled up his hood. 

Thankfully Happy didn’t say a word, and the drive to Midtown was uneventful. Harley willed his stomach to be quiet and stumbled his way out of the car. 

“Remember, we’re taking Peter home today,” Happy called out of the rolled-down window. Harley waved a weak hand to show he heard and trudged into school. As long as he could make it till then and not let Peter know he was sick. Oh, his boyfriend would have a fit if he knew. 

“You look like shit,” MJ put her book down as Harley sank into his seat next to her. He grunted, and leaned his head on his folded arms, taking relief in the temporary darkness. “Keener, you should go see the nurse,”

“I’m fine MJ,” Harley moaned. MJ scoffed beside him.

“No you aren’t dumbass, I’ll tell–” Whatever she wanted to say was cut off by the shrill ringing of the bell, and Harley winced, the noise cutting into his head like a shard of glass. 

“Alright class, let’s begin!”

Harley barely managed it through his classes. The headache would not go away, and every ring, every shout, every noise just made his head pound harder. Thankfully, he was alone in his next two classes before lunch period, and he had bolted his way out of history before MJ could say anything else. He was also glad today was the day Peter was spending the lunch period working on Spanish tutoring, so he wouldn’t go all mama bear on Harley. It was just a cold, everyone was overreacting. 

Harley trudged to their usual lunch table, not even bothering with the lunch line with how his stomach twisted at the sickening smell of school chili filling the room. He was the first to the table, and he collapsed into his seat. Harley pulled his hood back up and buried his head in his arms. 

“Woah, Harley, you okay?” 

Harley felt the table shake as backpacks were slammed onto it, and he winced again. 

“The dumbass won’t go to the nurse,” MJ announced, sliding into her seat. Harley lifted an arm to flip her off. 

“Dude you look terrible,” Ned frowned, concern written over his face. Harley pushed himself back up to a vertical and grimaced as his head and stomach swam. 

“I’m fine, for the four hundredth time,” He replied. 

“Harley I have never seen you look this pale, and you look like you might puke any second,” MJ blurted. 

“It’s just a cold, it’ll go away,” Harley tugged his hoodie higher. The chills had already started, and he was sweltering in his hoodie, but he didn’t dare take it off. 

“If Peter finds out,” Ned warned, and Harley glared at him.

“Peter will not find out,”

“Dude, he’s already paranoid he didn’t hear from you this morning, you might want to at least shoot him a text,” 

“I’ll see him next period, I’ll just tell him I was in a rush,” Harley sighed, and leaned his head back down on the table. A voice in the back of his head reminded him how gross the cafeteria tables probably were, but he couldn’t care less, the coolness was such a relief to his burning body. 

MJ grabbed his hoodie, and pulled his head up. She pressed a hand to his forehead in such a motherly gesture, Harley blinked in shock at her. One glance to Ned reaffirmed that this was not a normal MJ thing.

“You’re burning up Harley, you have to go to the nurse's office,” 

“I am not–” Harley started, but his stomach gurgled dangerously, and he clamped his mouth shut. “Berightback” He rushed out and bolted for the bathroom. He just barely made it into a stall before he was retching up stomach acid and the few crackers he had managed earlier. 

“Harls?” A quiet voice called out in the now silent bathroom. Harley leaned back heavily against the stall dividers.

“Fuck,” he muttered as Peter rounded the corner. Harley balled up his sleeve and swiped his wrist across his mouth, and gave his boyfriend a weak smile. “Hey Parker, fancy seeing you here,” He croaked. 

Peter’s mouth dropped open, and he dropped his backpack as he moved to crouch beside Harley. His face swapped to the determined expression Harley was familiar with, the same one he saw on Peter in the lab when they were cracking a hard problem Tony had given them. Peter patted his pockets and growled when whatever he needed wasn’t there. He slipped up his sleeves, revealing his web-shooters, and fired a web at his backpack. Peter pulled it to himself, and began rummaging through it. 

“Pete, are you seriously wearing your web-shooters to school?” Harley’s voice felt a lot scratchier now, probably from all the puking. 

“I can’t believe Tony didn’t catch this,” Peter muttered under his breath. He finally found what he was looking for, and pulled out a pair of glasses. He slipped them on and tapped the hinge. “Karen, give me his temp,” 

“Peter, you seriously don’t want to do that–”

“Mr. Keener’s temperature is 103 and climbing,” 

Harley always wondered what Peter’s expression was under the mask when he was fighting, it probably a lot like the murderous look Peter was giving him right now.

“Call Happy, tell him we need him now. Hack the school systems and dismiss us both,” Peter ordered. Harley felt tinier in his hoodie than ever. “Come on,” Peter held out a hand, still looking pissed. Harley grabbed his hand, and groaned as his stomach shifted again. 

“Karen text the Squad group, let them know I’m taking Harley home and for one of them to grab his stuff please,” Peter grunted to his AI as he pulled Harley’s arm over his shoulders, and wrapped an arm around Harley’s waist. 

“I think you’ll owe me dinner first Parker,” Harley sighed, leaning his head on Peter. 

“Karen, tell Happy to come faster, he’s getting delusional,” Peter deadpanned to his AI. They shuffled out of the bathroom, and Harley must have been in there puking longer then he thought because the halls were empty. Peter helped him out of the school, and into the waiting car. 

Harley leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

“How bad is he?” He heard Happy ask. 

“103, climbing,” Was Peter’s response. Hands began carding through his hair, and Harley leaned into them. 

He must have fallen asleep on the ride back because when he blinked awake, he was under a huge pile of blankets in the penthouse living room. Peter was on the opposite couch, flipping through his phone. 

“Sweetheart?” Harley groaned.

“Nope, don’t get to pull that bullshit on me,” Peter stated, not even looking up. 

Harley sighed, and rolled over, and fell back into a deep sleep. Noises filtered into his sleep, causing weird dreams to pop up, and he slipped between a deep and light sleep. 

He woke up again with his head in Peter’s lap. He didn’t bother to open his eyes this time, head still pounding. The shivers were gone, but his head still felt like it was full of cotton. He didn’t want to open his eyes, maybe he’d fall asleep again and wake up better. 

“Kid, you gotta understand. Harley doesn’t do sick. He did a lot back in Tennessee, so him not telling anyone he was sick is normal for him. Though I should set the temp alert to lower next time,” Tony’s voice carried over to the couch.

“I just don’t get it though Mr. Stark, he doesn’t have to carry that all himself anymore, he’s got us to rely on,” Peter’s voice was tight like he was borderline crying. 

“I know Pete,” Tony sighed. “It’s hard to break some habits, especially when it was one he had to survive” Harley fell asleep again.

When he woke for the last time, his head felt a lot clearer, and his stomach had settled down. His head was still in Peter’s lap on the couch, and it was dark in the living room. He glanced up to see Peter fast asleep, head propped up on his hands. Harley tried to gently move, but the moment he lifted his head, Peter startled awake. He quickly looked down and met Harley’s eyes with his wide chocolate brown ones. 

“Oh, you’re up,” Peter’s voice crackled, and he cleared his throat. “Feeling any better?”

“Lots,” Harley stretched his arms out, and then wound them around Peter, tucking his face into Peter’s stomach. He felt Peter’s hands return to his hair, gently carding through them.

“Thank you,” he said, voice muffled into the hoodie Peter was wearing, his hoodie to be exact. 

“Always,” Peter leaned down and pressed a kiss to Harley’s head. “Just next time give me a heads up you’re not feeling well, please?”

Harley nodded. 

“Move, please,” Peter grunted, shoving at Harley until he was sitting up, and Peter swung his legs up onto the couch.

“If you get sick, I am not dealing with the whining,”

“Oh come on, the spidey gene hasn’t let me get sick in a while,” Peter snarked, sliding himself to the back of the couch and under all the blankets. He opened his arms, and Harley crawled back into them, sighing happily. 

Sure, he did what he had to survive back in Rose Hill, but maybe having a sick day wasn’t so bad after all, Harley thought to himself as he snuggled back into his boyfriend, and let himself fall asleep again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Finally got around to posting this, this is from my side Tumblr from at least last fall, whoops. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


End file.
